SHIFTY Taps Into Classic Vocals on ‘Time Warp’ EP

California duo SHIFTY taps into Hatiras and Barry White samples in Time Warp, their two-track debut on Blackflag Recordings.

Across two tracks that are layered with Hatiras and Barry White samples, Huntington Beach-based artists SHIFTY make a smooth debut on Stacey Pullen‘s Blackflag Recordings with Time Warp. The project reveals their taste for jazz, funk, and house, understated grooves, and a keen ear for mixing modern house music with a bit of nostalgia.

Comprised of longtime collaborators steeped in the Southern California club scene, SHIFTY has honed a sound that draws from disco, soul, and jazz, blending these influences into house music and creating their own distinctive tone. Having previously released on House Hats, North of Neptune, and DOSMUNDOS, and landing a debut performance with New York’s Gray Area, the pair arrive on Blackflag ready to stake their claim as rising voices in the world of dance music.

SHIFTY’s debut on Blackflag Recordings finds its magic not just in the duo’s piercing ear for groove, but also in how they blend nostalgia with modern house music through clever sampling. The title track, “Time Warp,” leans heavily on a snippet from Canadian artist Hatira‘s classic Space Invaders, threading a playful and retro synth pattern into a four-on-the-floor rhythm. The sample isn’t just a nod to early-2000s dancefloor energy, but also serves as the track’s connective tissue, giving the bassline a sense of history while the percussion and synth layers push the sound into the present. Feeling like some sort of time warp in itself.

On the flip, “No No Baby” switches the energy with a sultry touch, pulling a deep, lush vocal snippet from R&B and disco singer Barry White‘s “Playing Your Game, Baby” into the mix. SHIFTY’s production frames the iconic vocals with crisp drum patterns and with a sprinkle of jazz, turning the classic soul voice into a wavy house track. The sample not only adds warmth and a human element to the song, but also keeps alive the sounds that have influenced the artists and soul and funk as a whole.

Across both tracks, SHIFTY demonstrates a nuanced approach to sampling: one that honors the source material without letting it dominate the new sound. In doing so, Time Warp becomes a carefully constructed crossover between eras, a celebration of house music’s lineage, and a showcase of the duo’s production skills.

Make sure to stream Time Warp on your favorite platform, and follow SHIFTY on social media to stay up-to-date on new music and upcoming shows.

Stream SHIFTY – Time Warp on Spotify:

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